Hero Stories

The gift of organ and tissue donation is an act of quiet heroism. The memories of our Heroes are treasured. This Hero Stories Blog is for cherished memories submitted by the families of these Heroes.

A place to honor and to remember individuals that have saved and enhanced lives.

The stories that follow tell of loss, grief, and pain, as well as rebirth, renewed purpose, and continued missions. These stories, in particular, are close to home, as they involve some of our own employees.

To find a specific story, use the search box at the top of the page or click here for mobile search.

Our oldest daughter Carrie Ellen, age 30, got pregnant again, and we found out that I was having another grandson to be born around March 13th. His name had already been picked out, and we were getting very excited about his arrival.

In her third trimester,our daughter was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Since her husband was diabetic, he taught her how to keep it under control. She never had any problems concerning this condition. Other than that, she was a very healthy 30-year-old woman.

At some point, the doctor decided to induce on March 9th. I didn't quite understand why a few days early since she had not been having any complications. But they were the doctors, and we were sure they knew what they were doing.

She decided that she wanted not only her husband in there with her, but she also wanted me there too. Since I was going to be there, he decided the other grandmother should be there too...that was fine with me. I stood there by Carrie's side through hours of hard labor. There were times when I wanted to just do it for her. I stood there watching and waiting and then suddenly I saw his head. I was so excited, I was speechless! Then the doctor came in with the suction cup and out he came. He was beautiful. He was the spitting image of his mother the day she was born.

But something wasn't quite right. My daughter started to hemorrhage. Without going into the details...they had to do an emergency hysterectomy on her and a few other surgeries to stop the bleeding. After the last surgery, they took out the breathing tube and after a few minutes she stopped breathing. Without oxygen to her brain for a certain length of time, my baby girl became brain damaged. She never recovered.

Carrie and her son

We are trying very hard to deal with our loss, but it's been very hard. We have temporary custody of her nine year old son from another relationship. So between grieving for our daughter, trying to deal with not seeing our new grandson...life has been pretty difficult for my husband and me.

We miss our baby girl so much...but we have to accept that she is in heaven with her loved ones who have gone before her. Please keep us in your prayers...to give us the strength to go on and be strong for her nine year old son and nine year old niece.

We did, however, find out in the hospital that she was an organ donor. Before they let her go, they had already found three people in need who were compatible to her. So our beautiful baby girl saved three lives already. She was a remarkable young lady. She is deeply missed by all who were lucky enough to have her in their lives. She is a true hero!

Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency

The Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) is an independent, not-for-profit organ and tissue recovery agency. LOPA's Core Purpose is Making Life Happen. We save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation.

Follow us on Instagram @donatelifela

Thank you to Rapides Regional Medical Center for their annual Tree of Life Ceremony today! It was a wonderful, emotional gathering and an amazing experience to share with donor families. The tree is located in the South Tower Lobby of the hospital.

A quick listen to 'The Gifted Life' podcast and you'll hear our hosts repeating...ONE person can make a difference in the world of donation!
Well, Rodie of 'Metro City Driving Academy' is one of those people!
See all those forms Rodie is holding in the attached picture? Those are all registration forms! She's helping to increase Louisiana's donor registry. Her motivation? Her friend, her HERO - Daniel. His picture is a fixture on the class walls (see him in the white hat?) She also lines her walls with donation information. Daniel saved and enhanced lives through donation. Rodie wants to save more people, too - in Daniel's honor. Thanks, Rodie for helping us MAKE LIFE HAPPEN! #DonateLife #DonateLifeLA #Podcast #TheGiftedLife

Join us on DLL's Facebook page live this morning, beginning at 11:00. Ricardo "Buck" Brown's Donate Life Rose Parade Float Floragraph will be unveiled to his mother. She will be finishing her son's floragraph before it is placed on the float! @donatelifefloat #donatelife

Today is #GivingTuesday! We are asking you to give something unique today—your name. Your name can save and heal many lives. Visit YourNameSaves.org to learn more. #yournamesaves #DonateLife